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Aging Wood

Aging Wood

Mike Wickham has sent us the following article - let us know how you get on with it!

To age new wood to a natural silvery grey, to grey brown or black patina (depending on the wood), let small piece of steel wool sit overnight in ordinary white vinegar, then dilute the vinegar solution 1 to 1 with water.

(If you used 1/4 cup of vinegar, add ¼ cup of water). Test the result on a piece of scrap wood to determine if the aged finish is the correct colour, if not, for darker solutions, leave the solution to sit longer, or add a bit more vinegar, and test it again. Solutions which are too strong produce very dark colouration. They will need more water to dilute them before you test again. When the solution produces the desired effect, brush it over fresh wood to create an instant greyed patina.

The above method has a different effect based on the type of wood you are using. Oak will show a blackening effect, light pine will turn golden red and red cedar will show gray or pink textured effect.